Male anorexia

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Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder commonly perceived as a female problem, but it also affects a growing number of males.

Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder that occurs when a person is obsessed with their weight and the food they eat due to a fear of gaining weight. People with the condition severely restrict the amount of food they consume and/or exercise excessively in order to maintain a weight that is well below normal for their age and height. Their body perception is also often distorted, so they view themselves as fat even though they're underweight. Anorexia is often hard to overcome and usually requires the right support and treatment to regain a healthy attitude to eating and body image.

Although anorexia is more common among females, in particular teenagers and young women, it also affects boys and men. While about 10 per cent of all diagnosed cases of eating disorders are males, this figure is considered a conservative estimate. Many men with the anorexia fail to seek help because they are embarrassed to have what's commonly thought of as a "female problem". In turn, the condition is often not recognised by others – family, teachers, doctors etc – so often remains undiagnosed. Health professionals, for example, are more likely to look for physical causes of weight loss before considering an eating disorder.

Because of this, gaining accurate figures on the number of males with anorexia is problematic. Recent research but The Butterfly Foundation (dedicated to supporting those with eating disorders), found that almost one in three males aged 14 to 15 were fasting, skipping meals, vomiting or using laxatives, diet pills and smoking to help them lose weight and control hunger. Societal pressures to live up to an ideal are thought to be one of the factors leading to an increase in males developing eating disorders. Celebrities and media – magazines, TV, advertising - promote lean and muscular bodies as the ideal one hand and on the other, the sinewy, bony bodies of male models and rock stars wearing skinny jeans. In general though, men with anorexia tend to strive for a lean, thin physique.

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